Employment Experience

Currently Employed at
  • The Academy @ Shawnee from August 2020 to current
Previously Employed at
  • The Phoenix School of Discovery from August 2012 to May 2020
Practicum and Student Teaching Experiences, 2010-2011
  • Valley Traditional High School, Louisville, KY
  • Silver Creek Elem, New Albany, IN
  • River Valley Middle School, Jeffersonville, IN
  • Waggener High School, Jeffersonville, KY
  • Butler Traditional High School, Jeffersonville, KY (Student Teaching)
Measured Progress Standardized Test Grader Summer 2009

IUS Food Court 2008-12
  • Dish, Prep, Closing, Opening, Catering
  • Everyone should work in food service for a while.

Educational Experience

Phoenix Program Work

8 Years Teaching at Phoenix School of Discovery Alternative Program
9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Grade English Language Arts
Theater, Creative Writing, Poetry Appreciation Course, and HAVPA

Was the Teacher Sponsor for a 41 student Field Trip to Actors Theater to see Dracula 2014-15 School Year

Coach for the Phoenix Quick Recall team 2011-Present.

DJ at school dances 2014-Present. 

E-Sports Coach from 2016-2020, familiar with the meta and mechanics of:

1. League of Legends
2. CS:GO
3. Overwatch
4. DOTA 2
5. HOTS
6. SCII
7. SMITE
8. Valorant (learning atm)
​Presentation of Methods

​Editing and Writing for the Innovative Schools Competition "Lyceum" program grant (2012-13)

PD Presentation at the Valley High School Phoenix Site (2013) on Gamification in Education

​Presenting at the IFL Conference at Bellarmine University (2014)

​Presented at GenCon my theory and application of Game Mechanics to Project Based teaching in the context of student psychological needs at an Alternative School (Summers of 2015 and 2016).

​Presented three aspects of my pedagogy at the Persistence to Graduation Conference in Frankfurt (Summer 2018)

Presented at JCPS Technoversity Conference (2019)

​Presented on the Kentucky Go Digital Learning Channel (2020)
​

Degrees Held

Masters in Educational Leadership with Administrative License (Completed August 2020)

Masters in Secondary Education (Completed Summer 2018)
​
B.S. Secondary Education Language Arts
(Completed Spring 2012)
Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN
Minor in Honors Studies
Indiana University Southeast, New Albany, IN

Floyd Central High School Graduate 2007
Graduated with Honors
English Scholarship

I've was also the MC and DJ of Phoenix School dances from 2014 to 2020!

Professional Development Presentations

To the right are PPT's and videos of professional developments I have collaborated on and presented on methods and educational philosophy. 

Also included are research and writing I have produced on the efficacy of Gamification and Choice Teaching in an Alternative Environment.

Awards / Accomplishments

Teaching
  • Student Nominated Hilliard Lyons School Teacher Excellence Award 2019
IUS Awards
  • IUS Deans List 2008-11
    IUS Deans List Grad 2016-18
BSA Awards / Recognition
  • Eagle Scout
  • Triple Crown
  • Order of the Arrow
Troop 15 New Albany, United Methodist Church
This is a PPT I presented with another Phoenix Teacher, Mr. Harden, at our end of summer PD. (2013)
Web Ed User Professional Development. 
Presented 4-30-14
This PPT details how we use Gamification and Distance Learning at Phoenix to meet the specific needs of our high risk populations, and how JCPS could benefit from adapting our policies. (2014)
This is a short interview following the 2015 Gencon presentation
This PPT is primarily focused on the topic of Gamification as a response to the psychological needs of my students. (2015 / 2016)
This is a three part, partially-guided methods walk explaining Gamification, Student Agency Driven Pathing, and Portfolio Defenses with Research links in each of the three topics. If you need to defend the use of any of those three methods of teaching, this is a great place to start!
This is a three part, partially-guided methods walk explaining Gamification, Student Agency Driven Pathing, and Portfolio Defenses with Research links in each of the three topics. If you need to defend the use of any of those three methods of teaching, this is a great place to start! 
(Additionally, this includes integration information on the new KAS standards for ELA classes working towards greater agency in their classroom structures)
This was a live presentation of methods and introduction to what Gamification is, how it can be implemented in a classroom, and the benefits of running student-driven high choice curriculum. 

The following is an article published in 2017 on my classroom methods and beliefs in the publication, Kentucky Teacher. 

Writing and Research Samples

Fiction/Non-Fiction Work

A poem that won an IUS writing competition
A poem that won an IUS writing competition
A short non-fiction essay that won an IUS writing competition

Editor and Publication Work

Writing and Editing Experience
  • IUS Review Staff, 2010-12
  • IUS Review Managing Editor, 2011-12
  • IUS English Club President, 2011-12

Research Work

A research paper on the importance of agency in A5 Alternative Programs (Masters Thesis)
This is a unit designed and presented with Social-Justice in mind
This is an "I-Search" narrative paper on the connection between clinical defiance in the classroom and video game narrative structure in student interests

Administrative Research Work

A PPT presentation exploring three axis of change that the program may benefit from pursuing, guided by data collection and discussion
A 70 page discussion of climate and culture at Phoenix, with emphasis on implementing a new teacher induction program, design and implementation guide included. (link no longer works)